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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

I have no idea who owned this wondrous children's toy shape book, but it's in excellent condition. Perhaps Mama put it away safely. Or perhaps it was collected by an older child who treated it as the treasure it is. The illustrations are marvelous, especially the chromolithographs featuring children, bear, horses, buffalo and tepees. I can imagine young eyes looking through this book in wonder and awe.

It's a softcover, but the covers are thick stock, with 5 interior sheets of relatively thick stock.

It was produced in New York by the McLoughlin Brothers, but I don't see a publication date. Similar pieces (and there were only a very pricey few) at an online book resource had publication dates of the 1890s. I don't know if those books had dates printed in them or if the sellers knew the history of the McLoughlin Brothers and were able to pinpoint the publication date.

This center spread will take your breath away!

This book might share a name with the James Fenimore Cooper novel, but all similarity ends there.

My own favorite child's book was in the same vein - a Golden Book, "Indian Indian" by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated beautifully by Leonard Weisgard. I still have it all these years later, though the covers are missing.